‘A Huge Honor,’ David Bednar Named Pirates Roberto Clemente Award Nominee for 3rd Time

PITTSBURGH — For the third time in as many seasons, David Bednar has been named the Pittsburgh Pirates nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

The prestigious award is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

“It’s a huge honor,” Bednar said on once again being nominated. “Obviously, what Roberto meant to this city and baseball as a whole and all of his efforts on and off the field is truly incredible and something I want to try and carry his legacy on.”

Whether it’s through Pirates Charities or his own volition, Bednar can often be found in the community around his hometown.

“I grew up here,” he explained. “I was one of those kids in the stands, one of those kids who always came to games. To be able to give back and put a smile on someone’s face is huge for me.”

Amongst Bednar’s many charitable efforts is his work with Lending Hearts, an organization whose vision is “to bring hope and strength to everyone impacted by cancer.”

Working closely with Lending Hearts means a lot to Bednar and exemplifies why he is again the Pirates’ nominee.

“It’s such an awesome organization,” he told Pittsburgh Baseball Now back in spring training. “They provide relief and help with families of kids going through cancer. It’s so cool to see first-hand what they do and I’m just so fortunate to be part of that and I look forward to working with them more in the future.

Bednar, an All-Star for the Pirates from 2022-23, has proven he can be a dominant closing pitcher. Combined between his two All-Star seasons, the right-hander recorded 58 saves, including a share of the National League-lead with 39 last season. He posted a sparkling 2.27 ERA and struck out 149 batters in 119 innings pitched.

Despite having his share of struggles this season, Bednar’s sense of charity hasn’t wavered.

“You just talk about the person in general, how much he loves Pittsburgh, being here, how much he gives,” manager Derek Shelton said. “I think we say this every year, but he doesn’t say no to anything. He continues to just exemplify what it means to be a Clemente nominee.”

The last time a Pirates’ nominee was the national winner of the award was Andrew McCutchen in 2015.

For Bednar, maybe third time’s the charm. But whether he wins or not, Bednar takes a tremendous amount of pride in being nominated for a third time.

“To be nominated for this is incredibly humbling,” he said. “There’s so many people doing great things and everybody moving the needle forward and carry on his legacy as best we can.”